Connector



1955 E. L. JOHNSON CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 14, 1950 um W151.

. \Q Wi I I m ArfoeMsYS United States Patent CONNECTOR Elbert L. Johnson, Warren, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 14, 1950, Serial No. 184,771

2 Claims. (Cl. 339188) This invention relates to improvements in connectors and more particularly to a connector construction for connecting conductors or wires.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact, simple and inexpensive form of connector which may be made economically and which will consist of few parts and which may be easily assembled and disassembled. To accomplish these and other objects, the connector comprises a pair of telescoping bodies of molded insulating material or plastic and providing for insulating and for enclosing the terminals of conducting wires within a chamber formed by the bodies. The bodies when assembled will properly enclose the terminals so that damage to the contacts or the accidental engagement therewith is prevented, and at the same time allowing for a momentary separation of the contact when a pull is exerted on one of the conducting wires outside the chamber without separating the bodies.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the connector embodying the present invention, and showing the actual size of same.

Fig. 2 is a detail view in longitudinal section of the female member of the connector on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the female member.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the female member.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the male sleeve member of the connector.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view with portion in elevation of the male sleeve of the connector.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the male sleeve looking in the direction of arrow 7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector on an enlarged scale.

Figs. 9 and 10 are end views of the connector looking in the direction of arrows 9 and 10, respectively, of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawing, 20 designates the connector embodying the present invention and includes a pair of telescoping one-piece bodies or sleeves 21 and 22 of molded insulating material or plastic. In this instance, the outer body or sleeve. 21 has a cylindrical bore extending from one end and terminating short of the other end to provide an end wall 23 having an outlet opening 24. At the open end of the body there is formed an annular lateral flange 25 and a pair of diametrical openings 26 located behind the flange 25. A pair of diametrical integral lugs 27 extend rearwardly from the flange. These lugs extend a short distance into the openings 26 but spaced from the end wall 26:: of the openings 26. These lugs 27 are preferably midway between the side marginal walls of the openings 26 to form notches or seats. The internal cylindrical surfaces of the 2,724,812 Patented Nov. 22, 1955 recess are interrupted by a pair of diametrical grooves 29 which extend inwardly from the open end of the body and communicate with one side of the openings 26 on the other side of the lugs 27. With this arrangement the grooves 29, lugs 27 and the side walls of the openings 26 form bayonet slots on opposite sides of the cylindrical wall of the sleeve or body 21.

The body 22 is also a one-piece body and is preferably cylindrical in shape and is formed with a through central bore 35. In this instance, the body is formed with external studs or ears 36, the cross-dimension of which will have a close sliding fit with the grooves 29. The inner end of sleeve 22 is reduced at 37 beyond the lugs to form a shoulder 38. The reduced portion 37 has a sliding fit with the cylindrical recess of the body 21. The lugs 36 are capable of engaging the inner wall 26a of the opening 26 to limit the inward movement of body 22 within the body 21.

A cable conductor 40 is stripped of the insulation at one end and a headed terminal 41 secured thereto. In this instance the head of the terminal 41 is formed with a reduced contact portion 42 on one side and a socket 44 on the other side. The socket receives bare ends of the cable which are secured therein by swedging. The crossdimension of the head of the terminal 41 is such that it will have a sliding fit with the internal cylindrical surface of the sleeve 21. The cable 40 and the terminal 41 are assembled within the recess of the body 21. A cable 45 is also stripped of the insulation at one end and a headed terminal 46 is secured thereto. In this instance the terminal 46 is provided with an enlarged head having a recess 47 receiving the reduced portion 42 of terminal 41. It-is to be understood that other forms of terminal heads could be used, for example frusto-conical heads, the ends of which will be held in engagement by a spring 50. The terminal 46 has a reduced socket portion 48 to receive the bared ends of cable 45 which is secured thereto by swedging. The cable 45 and its terminal 46 are assembled with the molded body or sleeve 22.

When the cable 40 and terminal 41 are assembled with the sleeve 21 the cable is first threaded through the coiled spring 50 which has one end bearing against the end wall 23 and has the other end surrounding the socket portion 44 and engaging the rear surface of the head 41.

When the cable conductor 45 is threaded through the body 22 from the front end thereof the head is adapted to abut the end of the reduced sleeve portion 37. In thisinstance the end is formed with a conical seat to receive a conical surface on the head 46. By this arrangement a self-alignment of the contact 46 with the body 22 is assured.

When the bodies 21 and 22 are assembled together, as shown in Fig. 8, to connect the terminal in a circuit the body 21 is either telescopically forced over the sleeve 22 or the body 22 is pushed into the body 21 against the tension of the spring 50. To accomplish the assembly of the two bodies 21, 22 the studs or ears 36 of body 22 must first register with the longitudinal grooves 29 in the body 21 after which one of the bodies is moved axially toward the other until the studs 29 pass the ends of the lugs 27 or engage the inner marginal end walls 26a of openings 26 of sleeve 21 after which the body 22 is turned in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 10, until the lugs engage side walls 26b of the openings. When the exerting force is released the spring 50 will expand axially to move the bodies axially in opposite directions tending to separate the bodies until the lugs 36 engage the bottom walls of notches 2S and thereby limit the axial movements of the bodies and at the same time hold the springs 50 under a state of compression.

The lugs 36 are held yieldingly within the notches 28 by the spring 50 which exerts pressure on both sleeves in opposite directions. When the studs are within the confines of the notches 28 the sleeve 22 is prevented from turning accidentally with respect to sleeve 21. When the bodies are in the position shown in Fig. 8, maximum contact pressure will be had between the terminals 41 and 4-6.

in case it is desired to separate the contact momentarily the operator need only pull the cable 40 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 8. It will be noted, see Fig. 8, that when the bodies 21 and 22 are interlocked with each other the reduced sleeve portions 37 of body 22 extend beyond the end marginal wall 26a of opening 26 within the body 21 to form an enclosed chamber 60 within the body 21 to enclose the terminals 41 and 46. By this construction, should any arcing between the contacts occur, due to loss of tension in the spring 50 or when the contacts are momentarily separated, such arcing will be confined within the chamber 60. Further this construction prevents accidental grounding of the contacts from outside the bodies through the openings 26.

The outer periphery of the bodies 21 and 22 is formed with radial ribs, such as 70, to permit the operator to grip the bodies more firmly when the bodies are either connected or disconnected.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An electrical connector for releasably holding first and second conducting wires in axial alignment with each other and end contacts thereon in electrical connection; said connector comprising a unitary outer body and a unitary inner body, said outer body having an axial passage therethrough with a reduced opening at one end thereof for receiving the first conducting wire and being radially enlarged adjacent said reduced opening to form a chamber into which said first wire extends and which is adapted to receive an enlarged contact connected to said first wire, said inner body being slidably received in said axial passage adjacent the opposite end thereof and having a passage extending therethrough coaxial with and opening into said axial passage which is adapted to receive a second conducting wire having a contact at the inside end of the passage through said inner body and engaging the contact on said first wire, said outer body having a longitudinal slot formed in that part of the wall thereof which surrounds the inner body, said slot being parallel to the axis of said outer body, of less depth than the thickness of the wall which surrounds the inner body and opening radially inwardly into the axial passage and extending to the end thereof which receives the inner body, a circumferential slot formed in the wall of said axial passage and open to the outside wall of said outer member, said inner body having an outwardly extending radial projection slidable in the slot and projecting into said circumferential slot to an appreciable extent beyond any part of the outer body in alignment therewith between the projection and the first-named end of the outer body, said circumferential slot extending from said longitudinal slot with one side forming a radially extending shoulder engageable by said radial projection, said inner body being rotatable to effect movement of the radial projection in said circumferential slot from the longitudinal slot to a position in longitudinal alignment with said shoulder, and a compression spring in said chamber surrounding the first conducting wire and efi ective to urge the contacts into engagement with the projection.

2. An electrical connector for releasably holding first and second conducting wires in axial alignment with each other and end contacts thereon in electrical connection; said connector comprising a unitary outer body and a unitary inner body, said outer body having an axial passage therethrough comprising a reduced opening at one end thereof for receiving the first conducting wire and a radially enlarged portion adjacent said reduced opening to form a chamber into which said first wire extends and which is adapted to receive an enlarged contact connected to said first wire, said inner body being slidably received in said axial passage adjacent the opposite end thereof and having a passage extending therethrough coaxial with and opening into said axial passage which is adapted to receive a second conducting wire having a contact at the inside end of the passage through said inner body and engaging the contact on said first wire, said second wire contact and said inner body having cooperating conical portions adapted to center said contact with respect to said inner body, the wall of said outer body adjacent the end into which the inner body extends being thicker than the remainder of said wall and having a longitudinal slot formed therein, said slot being parallel to the axis of the outer body and opening radially into the axial passage and extending to the end of the outer body which receives the inner body, a circumferential slot in the wall of said axial passage and open to the outside wall of said member, said inner body having an outwardly extending radial projection slidable in the slot and projecting to an appreciable extent beyond any part of the outer body in alignment therewith between the projection and the first-named end of the outer body, said circumferential slot extending from said longitudinal slot with one side forming a radially extending shoulder engageable by said radial projection in said circumferential slot from the longitudinal slot to a position in longitudinal alignment with said shoulder, an axially extending lug on the thicker portion of said inner body projecting into said circumferential slot and adapted to engage said radial projection to lock the inner and outer bodies in engagement, and a compression spring in said chamber surrounding the first conducting Wire and efiective to urge the contacts into engagement with the projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,753,179 Wertz Apr. 1, 1930 2,093,037 Douglas Sept. 14, 1937 2,117,029 Larsson May 10, 1938 2,445,588 Skeats July 20, 1948 2,470,280 Ackerman May 17, 1949 2,511,037 Bedoiseau June 13, 1950 

